Things I loved about Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice)
Well, first let me just start by saying what could you not love about Koe no Katachi. I mean really if you haven’t watched the movie do it now like now! But just to list some on the top of the list:
1. That I read the manga first. Yes, I love that I discovered the manga years before the movie came because it just made the feels when watching it amplify. My feels were over nine thousand. If you have watched the movie I recommend you read it because there is so much more detail and angst and story that you missed. The movie is still amazing but it still just a summary.
2. Forgiveness. In a way, I found it very odd and almost laughable that the Nishimiya family, the ones that would have suffered the most were the ones who seemed to have forgiven him the easiest once they realised he was trying to change especially Shoko, who by the way has to be the most loving girl in the world. In the movie, I noticed that Yuzuru, Shoko’s little sister never once mentioned the bullying once she got to know Ishida and how he has changed. She decided to move on from the past and became good friends with Ishida she’s even secretly rooting for him and Shoko to get together (like we all aren’t). Rather than the friends that turned against him or his teacher (which he meets again in the manga) Ishida struggles to gain forgiveness from himself. He doesn’t believe he should be forgiven and hates himself to the point that he was willing to commit suicide, believing he was doing the world a favour. I loved how they portrayed the internal struggle he was having with himself.
3. He saved her and she saved him. I love that Ishida and Shoko both save each other. Whether it was preventing one’s suicide or being the starting point and guide to showing one how to live. They both had a great impact on one another and showed great care for each other regardless of their past (I think that’s where most of the tears came from).
4. It wasn’t just one person’s fault. After Ishida was used as a scapegoat I saw something in the movie that I think we all know but tend to always overlook, it’s never just one person’s fault. Nishimiya was bullied by more people than Ishida but they were only the start, The student like Kawaii who didn’t intervene and sometimes even laughed at the crude jokes, the teacher who ignored all signs and waited until things got too far to take action, the school which didn’t even take the proper accommodations or even attempting to reach out to the parents for an interpreter. You see that Shoko’s suffering was prolonged by everyone. They all had some part in the cause of her transfer. This is a repeated problem that we have in our society. In bullying and harassment, we either see people joining in or blending into the background. When it does reach the point that we can no longer ignore we try to shift the blame off to something or someone else. It was to me one of those hits of reality in the anime. I was super happy when Kawaii and Ueno finally owned up to their contribution to Shoko’s bullying in the past. (Kawaii’s is more seen in the manga).
There are still many great things about this anime that I can’t even put into words. This is a one of a kind movie that I would recommend to anybody because there is so much you could learn and relate to in those two hours. My words don’t even do it justice. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch it or read the manga. I promise you won't regret it.
